Igor Larra was beaten for being critical about local government officials A journalist in Kazakhstan has suffered severe concussion after being beaten by four men, Human Rights Watch reported. Igor Larra, a reporter with the independent newspaper Svododa Slova, had written a series of articles critical of local councillors on sensitive issues.
Media watchdog, Adil Soz, said in a statement, “This was not a random act of hooliganism, but a deliberate attack on a journalist for his professional activities\".
Larra was attacked as he left a friend’s apartment in Aktobe, in western Kazakhstan.  He was hit over the crowbar and kicked and punched in the face.
The watchdog reported nine attacks against journalists in the first half of 2013 - the authorities often fail to investigate such attacks.